ICANN Board approves IDN country-code domain policy but rejects risk appraisal provisions
in plain words
ICANN’s board has approved most of new rules for country-code domains written in other languages and scripts. It turned down one part that would have let applicants add extra checks on confusing names. The rules now go back to the group that proposed them.
Full summary
The ICANN Board ICANN's board of directors, which adopts policies and approves key decisions. Full definition of ICANN Board has approved most of a new policy governing the selection and removal of internationalized country-code top-level domains (IDN ccTLD Internationalized Domain Name country code top-level domain A country code TLD written in a non-Latin script. Full definition of IDN ccTLD) and their variants. The Board adopted the policy on October 22, 2026. It rejected provisions that would have allowed additional risk assessments for certain potentially confusing domain strings.
The policy will replace the existing IDN ccTLD Fast Track The ICANN process by which countries request country code TLDs in non-Latin scripts. Full definition of IDN ccTLD Fast Track. The ccNSO Country Code Names Supporting Organization The ICANN body where ccTLD managers develop global ccTLD policy. Full definition of ccNSO (ccNSO) developed it. It sets procedures for choosing IDN ccTLD strings and their variants, and for managing their delegation, transfer, revocation and retirement. It also requires that an IDN ccTLD and its delegatable variants be assigned to the same entity. The policy extends eligibility to IDN Internationalized Domain Name A domain name written in local scripts or with accented letters. Full definition of IDN in Latin script, which the Fast Track Process does not support.
The Board adopted the ccNSO recommendations except Section 7.8 and related provisions on a Risk Treatment Appraisal Procedure. That mechanism would have handled requests for IDN ccTLD strings found confusingly similar, only when displayed in uppercase, to existing top-level domains, reserved name A name a registry withholds from normal registration, by rule or by its own choice. Full definition of reserved name, or two-character ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange The basic set of English letters, digits and symbols that the DNS was built on. Full definition of ASCII strings.
The Board cited security concerns. The proposed procedure would have let applicant An organization that has applied to ICANN to run a new gTLD. Full definition of applicant submit mitigation measures for review by a specialized panel The one or three independent experts who decide a domain dispute. Full definition of panel. The Board said some remedies could require separate registry operator The organization that holds the contract or mandate for a TLD and sets its rules. Full definition of registry operator to coordinate registration Obtaining the right to use a domain name for a set period. Full definition of registration practices, possibly including bundled registrations and extra technical or administrative obligations. In its view, such arrangements could add unacceptable complexity and risks to DNS Domain Name System The internet's directory that links domain names to computer addresses. Full definition of DNS security and stability.
The approved policy lets applicants whose strings fail similarity evaluations seek alternative strings. ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers The nonprofit that coordinates the global DNS and gTLD policy. Full definition of ICANN considers the rejected provisions separable from the wider framework, so the approved recommendations can proceed.
The disagreement now returns to the ccNSO. Under ICANN’s Bylaws, the Board must give a formal explanation for rejecting a ccNSO policy recommendation. The Board and the ccNSO Council will then discuss whether a mutually acceptable solution can be reached. The Council may affirm or modify its recommendations, and any supplemental proposal would require further Board consideration.
The work began in 2020 after ICANN’s 2019 recommendations on managing IDN variant A label treated as equivalent to another because its characters are interchangeable. Full definition of IDN variant. The ccNSO submitted its policy package to the Board in June 2024 following community consultation and membership approval.
Implementation remains subject to further work. ICANN must develop an implementation plan with cost and resource estimates, and certain provisions require Bylaws amendments, which remain subject to the applicable approval procedures, including the Empowered Community The body that lets ICANN's community groups enforce powers over the Board. Full definition of Empowered Community’s role. The treatment of uppercase-only confusing similarity and the timetable for implementation remain unresolved.